Draft gear removal apparatus



Unite States Paten Inventors Raymond C. l-lettlinger Evergreen Park; Rolf A. Madland, Palos Heights; Robert L. Carlson, Chicago, Illinois App]. No. 687,576 Filed Dec. 4, 1967 Patented Oct. 20, 1970 Assignee W. H. Miner, Inc.

Chicago, Illinois a corporation of Delaware DRAFT GEAR REMOVAL APPARATUS 4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

11.5. CI 91/394, 91/410, 91/446,-213/8 Int. Cl ..Fl5b 15/22, FlSb 13/04 Field of Search 213/8(Curs0ry),

91/410, 394, 446(Cursory) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 354,524 12/1886 Worthington 91/410 1,217,574 2/1917 Davis 91/410 1,781,563 11/1930 Walter 91/410 2,649,076 8/1953 Dupre 91/410 3,040,71 1 6/1962 Tounshend 91/410 F ORElGN PATENTS 1,171,409 10/1958 France 91/410 Primary Examiner-Paul E. Maslousky Attorney-Edward F. .1 urow and Clifford A. Dean ABSTRACT: The combination of a hydraulic jack assembly and a cross pin for use in removing a draft gear assembly from the draft gear pocket of a railway car. The jack assembly comprises a housing having an open end with a piston slidable therein, an aperture in the housing through which fluid under pressure may be admitted for-extending the piston outwardly of the housing, and means for closing the aperture when the piston has been extended a predetermined distance to limit the stroke thereof.

Patented Get. 20, 1970 Sheet 1 of 3 Inuenfiy 7'5.'' 1122 772072616. ffefi/z'gger ficZfQfYczdlend. 06eril. (a 715022:

Patented Oct. 20, 1970 Jim mm mm QNN 4/ Qmv m m Q mm Q w WWW?- Qm DRAFT GEAR REMOVAL APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a railway car having a draft gear pocket in which is mounted a draft gear assembly including a draft gear having a housing and a plunger slidable therein and a yoke extending about and longitudinally of the draft gear, and more particularly pertains to a hydraulic jack assembly and related apparatus engageable in the draft gear assembly and operable to compress the draft gear to permit the draft gear assembly to be removed from the draft gear pocket.

2. Description of the Prior Art The principal hydraulic jack now used for removing draft gears comprises a jacket bolted around a hydraulic cylinder with projecting ears which are engaged in the conventional key slot of the yoke. Because the key slot opening is designed to guide the coupler butt, it is of limited extent, and because the jack-ear arrangement occupies a substantial area of the yoke space, only a relatively small diameter piston, and hence a relatively low capacity jack, may be utilized. Moreover. the prior art hydraulic jack is adapted for use with only one type of yoke.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a cross pin is seated in the key slot of the yoke, and a hydraulic jack is engaged between the cross pin and the plunger. With this arrangement, the complete yoke space is utilized thereby permitting a larger jack piston to be used which increases the capacity of the jack and the force available for draft gear removal. Additionally, the described combination of jack and cross pin is adapted for use with a number of different types of yokes.

The hydraulic jack of the present invention also incorporates novel means for closing the fluid transmission aperture in the jack housing when the piston has been extended a predetermined distance to limit the stroke thereof without the use of internal or external mechanical stops. This arrangement eliminates operator discretion in connection with the extent of expansion of the jack, and affords a high capacity jack with a minimum axial length. Still further, the present invention contemplates a novel arrangement of a stroke-limiting assembly and an adapter assembly which are interconnected for jack operation and which are provided with cooperating spring biased ball valves such that the adapter assembly connected to a source of fluid under pressure may be conveniently disconnected from the stroke-limiting assembly after the jack has been expanded without blow-off of fluid from the jack and stroke-limiting assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary horizontal view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of a railway car, a draft gear assembly, and the draft gear removal apparatus of the present invention in an initial mounted position;

FIG. 2 is a view, partly-in section and partly in elevation, taken substantially along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view corresponding generally to FIG. 2, but illustrating the hydraulic jack of the present invention in an expanded position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view, taken substantially along the line 4-4 in FIG. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view, taken substantially along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the stroke-limiting assembly and adapter assembly of the present invention connected to a fluid hose fitting, and shows the position of the parts when the jack piston is retracted;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the stroke-limiting assembly, and shows the position of the parts when the jack piston is fully extended, and

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the stroke-limiting assembly connected directly to a fluid hose fitting.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 one end of the longitudinally extending, inverted generally U-shaped, center sill of a railway car. The center sill I0 is stationary relative to the railway car and comprises an upper horizontal wall portion I2 and vertical side wall portions 14 and 16. Secured to the side walls 14 and 16 are a pair of forward lugs 18 and a pair of rearward lugs 20. The pairs of lugs 18 and 20 are longitudinally spaced to define the usual draft gear pocket 22.

A conventional draft gear 24 is engaged within the draft gear pocket 22. The draft gear 24 includes a hollow housing 26 with a closed end wall normally abutting the rear lugs 20. and a hollow plunger 28 slidable in the housing and having a closed end wall normally abutting the front lugs 18. Extending between the plunger and housing end walls interiorly thereof are a plurality of resilient pad units (not shown) which normally maintain the draft gear 24 in expanded position. A generally C-shaped yoke 30 extends about and longitudinally of the draft gear 24 and serves to define therewith a draft gear assembly. The forward ends of the arms of the yoke 30 are provided with openings 32. Extending across the bottom of the draft gear pocket 22 are a pair of transverse braces 34.

In normal use, a coupler member (not shown) is arranged at the forward end of the draft gear assembly, the rear shank portion of the coupler member engages the plunger 28, and a draft key (not shown) is disposed transversely through the shank and the yoke openings 32. Buff forces imposed on the coupler member are transmitted directly to the plunger 28 which is moved rearwardly within the housing 26 while the rear lugs 20 serve as reaction members. Draft forces imposed on the coupler member are transmitted by the draft key and yoke 30 to the housing 26 which is moved forwardly over the plunger 28 while the front lugs 18 serve as reaction members. In both cases, the resilient pad units within the draft gear 24 serve to absorb the buff and draft forces.

When the draft gear assembly is to be removed from the draft gear pocket 22 and the center sill 10, it is necessary to compress axially the draft gear 24 in order to release the latter from engagement with the pairs of lugs 18 and 20. In this connection, the draft key and coupler member are first removed. Then, in accordance with the present invention, a cross pin 36 is inserted with its ends in the yoke openings 32, and a hydraulic jack assembly 38 is disposed intermediate of the cross pin 36 and the draft gear plunger 28. To initially locate the jack assembly 38 in position, shim means 40 is inserted between the cross pin 36 and the jack assembly.

As shown in FIG. 4, the jack assembly 38 comprises a cylindrical housing 42 having an open end and a closed end wall 44 with an axial aperture 46 formed therethrough. Slidable axially in the housing 42 is a cylindrical piston 48 provided with an annular recess 50 at its inner end. Disposed in the recess 50 are a set of packing rings and adapters 52 which are maintained in position by a retaining plate 54 secured to the inner end of the piston 48 by means of a plurality of screws 56 (FIG. 6).

The hydraulic jack assembly 42, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is adapted to have fluid under pressure supplied thereto through a stroke-limiting assembly 58, an adapter assembly 60, and a flexible hose 62 which is connected to a manually or automatically operated fluid pump 64.

As shown in FIG. 7, the stroke-limiting assembly 58 comprises a hollow casing preferably fabricated of two sections 66 and 68 which are threadingly interconnected. One end of the casing section 68, which is threaded into the aperture 46 in the housing end wall 44, is provided with a port 70 and a valve seat 72. Extending with clearance through the port 70 and the aperture 46 is a sensor rod 74 adapted at one end to engage the piston 48 and at the other end to be engaged by a valve element or ball valve 76. interposed between the ball valve 76 and a spring retainer 78 secured in the casing section 66 is spring means in the form of a coil spring 80. By reason of the coil spring 80, the one end of the sensor rod 74 is maintained in engagement with the piston 48, while the ball valve 76 is maintained in engagement with the other end ofthe sensor rod 74. The sensor rod 74 normally maintains the ball valve 76 disengaged from the valve seat 72. As indicated, one end of the casing section 66 is threadingly interconnected with the other end of the casing section 68, while the other end of the casing section 66 is provided with a second port 82 which defines a secondvalve seat. A second valve element or ball valve 84 is biased toward engagement with the second valve seat 82 by means of spring means in the form of a coil spring 86 interposed between the second ball valve 84 and the spring retainer 78. The other end of the casing section 66 is also formed with a central recess 88 and provided with a connector nut 90.

The adapter assembly 60 may, for example, be fabricated of three interconnected sections 92, 94 and 96. The one end adapter section 96 is adapted to be secured in the casing section recess 88 by means of the connector nut 90, and is provided with a port 98 which defines a valve seat. A valve element or ball valve 100 is biased toward engagement with the valve seat 98 by means of spring means in the form of a coil spring 102 interposed between the ball valve 100 and a spring retainer 104 secured in the adapter section 96. The other end adapter section 92 is provided with a port 106 which defines a valve seat, and engageable therewith is a valve element or ball valve 108. Spring means in the form of a coil spring 110 is interposed between the ball valve 108 and a spring retainer 112 secured in the adapter section 92. The adapter section 92 is also formed with a central recess 114 and provided with a connector nut 116.

Affixed to the end of the hose 62 is a fitting 118 which is adapted to be secured in the adapter section recess 114 by means of the connector nut 116. The fitting 118 is formed with a port 120 which defines a valve seat, and engageable therewith is a valve element or ball valve 122. interposed between the ball valve 122 and a spring retainer 124 secured in the fitting 118 is spring means in the form of a coil spring 126. In connection with the assemblies 58 and 60 and the fitting 118, the coil springs 86, 110 and 126 exert the same spring force, while the coil spring 102 exerts a lesser spring force than the other three identified coil springs. Because of the unequal spring forces exerted by the coil springs 86 and 102, when the adapter assembly 60 is interconnected with the stroke-limiting assembly 58 the ball valve 84 while remaining seated engages and unseats the ball valve 100 from the valve seat 98 (FIG. 7). This position of the ball valves 84 and 100 is maintained whenever the pressure of fluid within the adapter assembly 60 does not exceed the pressure of fluid within the stroke-limiting assembly 58. And, because of the equal spring forces exerted by the coil springs 110 and 126, when the fitting 118 is interconnected with the adapter assembly 60 the ball valves 108 and 122 engage and unseat each other from their respective valve seats 106 and 120.

After the jack assembly 38 has been engaged in the draft gear assembly, and the assemblies 58 and 60 and fitting 118 have been interconnected, the pump 64 is suitably actuated and hydraulic fluid under pressure is directed through the hose 62, fitting 118 and adapter assembly 60. The ball valve 84 is thereupon unseated, and fluid under pressure is directed through the assembly 58 and the aperture 46 into the housing 42. The fluid entering the housing 42 serves to expand thejack and to extend the piston 48 outwardly of the housing 42 as shown in FIG. 5, whereupon the draft gear 24 is axially compressed as shown in FIG. 3. As the piston 48 moves outwardly of the housing 42, the sensor rod 74 moves with the piston 48 by reason of the spring 80. After the piston 48 has been extended a predetermined distance, the ball valve 76 engages the valve seat 72 and closes the port 70 and aperture 46 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. in this manner, the flow offluid under pressure into the housing 42 is interrupted and the stroke of the piston 48 outwardly of the housing 42 is thereby limited. Thus, the stroke-limiting assembly 58 functions as apertureclosing means.

When extension of the piston 48 is completed. and actuation of the pump 64 discontinued, the ball valve 84 is returned into engagement with the valve seat 82 by reason of the unequal spring forces exerted by the coil springs 86 and 102. With this arrangement, the adapter assembly 60 may be disconnected from the stroke-limiting assembly 58 without blow-off of fluid under pressure from the assembly 58 and the jack 38. Following axial compression of the draft gear 24 and disconnection of the adapter assembly 60 (FIG. 8), the bottom car braces 34 (FIG. 2) are detached, and the draft gear 24, yoke 30 and jack 38 are lowered from the draft gear pocket 22. Thereafter, to remove the jack 38, the hose fitting 118 is connected directly to the stroke-limiting assembly 58 as shown in FIG. 9. Because the coil springs 86 and 126 exert equal forces, the engaged ball valves 84 and 122 unseat each other. The pressure release valve of the pump 64 is then opened to drain fluid from the jack housing 42 to permit the piston 48 to return to retracted position. Finally, the cross pin 36 andjack 38 are withdrawn from the draft gear assembly.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various rearrangements and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. For use in removing a draft gear assembly from the draft gear pocket of a railway car, the combination of a hydraulic jack assembly comprising a housing having an open end and a closed end wall, a piston slidable in said housing, and said closed end wall having an aperture therein through which fluid under pressure may be admitted to said housing for extending said piston outwardly of said housing; and means for closing said aperture when said piston has been extended a predetermined distance to limit the stroke thereof comprising a hollow casing with a port at one end secured in said aperture and adapted to be connected at its other end to a source of fluid under pressure, said casing having a valve seat at said port, a valve element within said casing and engageable with said valve seat, means extending between said piston and said valve element for normally maintaining said valve element disen gaged from said valve seat while serving to permit said valve element to engage said valve seat for closing said aperture when said piston has been extended a predetermined distance, said hollow casing having a second port and a second valve seat at said other end thereof, and a second valve element within said casing and engageable with said second valve seat for closing said second port.

2. For use in removing a draft gear assembly from the draft gear pocket of a railway car, the combination of a hydraulic jack assembly comprising a housing having an open end and a closed end wall, a piston slidable in said housing, and said closed end wall having an aperture therein through which fluid under pressure may be admitted to said housing for extending said piston outwardly of said housing; and means for closing said aperture when said piston has been extended a predetermined distance to limit the stroke thereof comprising a hollow casing with a port at one end secured in said aperture and adapted to be connected at its other end to a source of fluid under pressure, said casing having a valve seat at said port, a ball valve element within said casing and engageable with said valve seat, a sensor rod extending with clearance through said aperture and said port with one end engaging said piston and the other end engaging said ball valve element. spring means for maintaining said one end of said sensor rod in engagement with said piston and said ball valve element normally disengaged from said valve seat while serving to permit said ball valve element to engage said valve seat for closing said aperture when said piston has been extended a predetermined distance. said hollow casing having a second port and a second valve seat at said other end thereof, a second ball valve within said casing and engageable with said second valve seat, and second spring means for biasing said second ball valve into engagement with said second valve seat.

3. The combination of claim 2 including an adapter assembly at its one end secured to said other end of said casing and at its other end adapted to be connected to a source of fluid under pressure, said adapter assembly having a port and a valve seat at said one end thereof, a ball valve within said adapter assembly being engageable with said valve seat thereof and normally engaging said second ball valve, and spring means biasing said adapter assembly ball valve toward said second ball valve and said adapter assembly valve seat.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said second spring means has a greater spring force than said adapter assembly spring means whereby said second ball valve is engaged by said second spring means with said second valve seat when the pressure of fluid within said adapter assembly does not exceed the pressure offluid within said casing. 

